


On Victory's Wings

by Sidhewrites



Series: The Godling Chronicles [1]
Category: Greek and Roman Mythology, No Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Gen, Greek Mythology - Freeform, Magic, Mild Language, Minor Violence, Original Character(s), Original Fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-09-11 21:38:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16860754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sidhewrites/pseuds/Sidhewrites
Summary: Aislinn is your average high-school Senior, worrying about average teenage things.  Balancing schoolwork, sports, her social life (such as it is), and random Spartan Shades appearing in city parks on her morning jogs.  Or maybe not so average, but that's just how her life goes, being a mortal daughter of Zeus.  First the Shade thing, and then the new guy she bumps into sets her instincts ringing.  But when one of her best friends - a son of Hades - goes missing, and beings from the Underworld begin appearing in the Upper-Realm, Aislinn has to navigate a world that has been trying it's best to kill her since she was a child.  With just herself, an unclaimed demi-god, and her very much mortal best friend out trying to save the world...? They are so screwed.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay this story is 10 years and 4 re-writes in the making, mostly because I'm a perfectionist and hated the first two drafts. It's a labour of love, tears, and many scribbled pages. I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Aislinn exited the gym of King James High School and headed for her locker a few halls away, gym bag slung over her shoulder.  She ran an agitated hand through long auburn hair, shoving damp strands off of her face. Her mind racing as she tried to make sense of some strange things she had seen on her way to school.  Things that had plagued her thoughts during her usually peaceful morning workout.

The first had been a dead lawn.  Not yellow death from over or under watering, or lack-luster care.  The ground was gray, grass nowhere to be seen, the dirt cracked as if by drought.  Trees, leafless and seemingly petrified, had lined the yard, and a mist had hung around the house the yard belonged to.  What was more alarming was that the lawns of the houses on either side were still lush and green, untouched by whatever had decimated the lone lawn.

        The second – and the more troubling of the two – was the man standing in the middle of a field, dressed in full, **authentic** , Spartan hoplite armour. A brown leather cuirass, leather strips hanging from around the waist, providing some modest coverage. A spear gripped in his hand, bronze shield hanging on his back, a sword at his waist, and horse hair crest helmet, crest dyed red, tail trailing down his back. She had slowed her jog, coming to a stop at the edge of the field, staring at the helmeted figure in confusion.  She had tried calling out to him, speaking in Greek.  “Warrior!  Are you lost?  Do you have payment for the Ferryman?”              

In response to her call the hoplite had turned, the helmet, and distance, hiding his features.  She watched him shift his stance, easily lifting the shield from his back and fitting it to his arm.  He raised the shield in front of himself and leveled the spear over its edge, glaring at her over it.  Before the Hoplite could charge, his form wavered for a moment, then vanished from sight.

 Aislinn shook her head at the memory as she turned the last corner that would take her down the hall that contained her locker. ‘ _What would a **Shade** be doing in the middle of a field, in the middle of the city?  Drake knows better than that._’  She thought to herself as she reached her locker.  She let her gym bag slide off her shoulder, landing at her feet, and reached for the dial, twisting and turning it, inputting her combination.  ‘ _I’ll have to talk to him about it after school, see if he knows anything._ ’  The lock popped open and she lifted handle, opening the door.  She swung her gym bag inside with one hand, while the other began searching for an extra hair tie.  A flash of bright pink caught her eye, and she turned to look at the post-it stuck to the inside of the door.  Her locker mate, and best friend, Diana Williams, had left her a note on the offensively coloured paper.              

‘ _Hey!  I had to run to the nurse’s office for my meds.  I have a wicked headache today that I don’t want to turn into a migraine.  I’ll see you and Drake in class.  Diana_ ’

Aislinn winced in sympathy for her friend, knowing how debilitating her migraines could get if not treated.  She blinked as a thought hit her.  If she hurried she may be able to talk to Drake before Diana even made it to class.  She needed to let him know what she had seen, as soon as possible.              

Her searching hand finally located a hair tie and she pulled her hand out of the locker, grabbing her book bag with the other hand and swinging it up onto her shoulder, as she hip checked the locker door shut, hurrying down the hall.              

Because her head was ducked as she pulled her hair up into a messy bun, she didn’t see the other student coming around the corner until she walked smack into him.  Sending them both crashing to the floor.              

“Ouch!”  The other student had tried to catch himself and ended up tripping over his own feet, sending him to the lockers to his right.              

“Son of – shit, are you alright?”  Aislinn asked, upon realizing that she had knocked over another person.  She rolled over and pushed herself into a sitting position, a contrite look on her face.              

The other student was rubbing his head where he had knocked it into the locker, carefully feeling the bump that was there.              

Aislinn quickly climbed to her feet and took a step forward to help him up.  “I am so sorry.”              

He waved her off.  “It’s okay.  No real harm done.”  His voice was slightly accented, but it was faint enough that she couldn’t place what it might have been.  Blonde hair was short and nearly silver in colour.  He pulled his hand away from his head, looking at his hand.  He showed it to Aislinn as he pushed himself to his feet.  “See?  No blood.”              

“Still, I’m sorry.  I should have been paying more attention.”              

He stood carefully on too long legs, and dusted himself off.  He had the look of a teen who had hit a growth spurt and his body hadn’t yet caught up to his limbs.  He shrugged broad, but scrawny shoulders as he straightened up.  “Eh, it’s a Monday.  They’ve never been known as good days, but…if you want to make it up to me you could answer a question.”  He looked at her a shy smile on his face as his dark blue eyes met Aislinn’s green.              

Aislinn fought not to react as every hair on her neck and arms stood on end, as an all too familiar shock raced up her spine.  ‘ _Demi-god!_ ’              

The blonde rubbed at back of his neck, an odd look coming across his face.  “Or…not?”              

“N-no, sorry just lost in thought.  What was your question?”  Aislinn shook her head, smiling at him, her mind racing as she watched the awkward teen in front of her.  ‘ _He must not know what he is.  Which means he was never claimed.  I **need**_ _to talk to Drake!_ ’              

James smiled in relief.  “Great, can you help me find classroom 213?  The office gave me a map, but it may as well be written in Greek for all the sense it makes.”  He held out the map that Aislinn now noticed was crumpled in his other hand.              

She shook her head and shifted her bag so it sat higher on her shoulder.  “Nah, if it was in Greek, it’d be way more confusing.  I could tell you how to get there, or I can do you one better. I’ll take you there, that’s where I’m heading.”              

“Really?  Great!”  He twisted around, shoving the map into an open pocket on his back pack, no longer seeing the need to keep it out.  He faced Aislinn and held out a hand.  “I’m James Morgan, by the way.  Nice to meet you.”              

“Aislinn Carter.”  She grasped his hand and shook it twice before taking her hand back.  “Come on, class is this way.”  She turned and headed back down the way that James had originally come from.              

James fell into step next to her, and out of the corner of her eye, Aislinn saw his hand going to the back of his neck once more.                              

 

The halls rapidly started to fill with students as the first bell crept closer and closer to sounding.  James made sure to keep as close to Aislinn as he could, without stepping on the backs of her feet.  He did not relish the thought of getting lost again.  Five minutes later Aislinn came to a stop in front of a black door with multi-coloured swirls painted on it, and presented it with a flourish.  “I present to you room 213, Mr. Warner’s Art Room!  Ta-da!”              

James shook his head at the strange girl, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.  “Thank you!  I probably would have ended up lost in the basement if you hadn’t run into me.”              

She grinned and winked at him.  “Good thing for you that I chose today to be a klutz then, eh?”

            “My hero.”  He rolled his eyes, but grinned when Aislinn laughed as she reached behind herself to open the door.

            “Here, write your room numbers on that map, and I’ll layout how you get to each class from the other, so you won’t get lost again.”  She said as she held out a hand for the map.

“Really?”  He was already digging out the paper and a pen.

She shrugged.  “Yeah.  I’m surprised the office even **gave** you a map, to be honest.  They usually just let new students fend for themselves.  Especially this late into term.”

James laid the map against the wall and quickly penned out his room numbers in the corner; numbering them so Aislinn would know which class came first.  “Thanks so much.  This’ll be a huge help.”  He handed her the slightly crumpled map, and she folded it, placing it into her back pocket.

Aislinn waved him off, “It’s no big deal and it won’t take me long.  I’ll give it to you once class is done.”

“Sounds good.  Thanks again.”  He stepped around her and made his way to the front of the room, to introduce himself to the teacher, and get the assignments that he’s missed so far.

 “No problem.  See you after class, James.”  She waved at him over her shoulder as she entered the class room, heading for her and her friends usual table.

 

Aislinn looked around the room as the scent of paint, clay, and ink invaded her senses.  There were easels stacked against the wall furthest from where the door, a small kiln was in the opposite corner.  White cupboards lined the walls, their fronts painted with different scenes and designs, painted by various students over the years.  The ceiling tiles had also been made into works of art, ranging from scenes of happiness and light, to subjects of a much darker nature.

She walked through the work tables, waving at a group of girls near the front of the room, fellow members of the basketball team, as she made her way to a table occupied by a familiar mop of messy, black hair.  ‘ _Thank Zeus!  He actually came to school today._ ’  She hurried her pace, wanting to talk to him before Diana got to class.  She dropped into an empty seat next to the boy snoozing at the table and shook his arm roughly.

“Drake.  Drake! Wake up, I need to talk to you!”  Her tone was urgent, but she tried to keep it to a whisper, not wanting to draw attention to herself.

“Unngg, wha-what?  Can’t you see I’m sleeping, wench?  Go away.”  Drake’s deep voice rumbled out from where he had his head buried in his arms.

Aislinn rolled her eyes in annoyance and grabbed a hand full of Drakes hair, pulling his head up enough that she could see his eyes.  Which were now glaring at her.  She ignored the dangerous look in charcoal coloured eyes and hissed at him.  “I need you to focus, this is important.  Now wake up you lazy bum, or I **will** shock you!”  She emphasized her threat by pinching the thumb and fore-finger of her free hand together, sparks dancing between the digits.

He grabbed her wrist, his larger hand encircling it easily, and pulled her hand free of his hair.  He raised his head out of his arms, still glaring at her, grey eyes taking on an almost glowing blue sheen.  “What?” It was more of a snarl than an actual word.

Aislinn pulled her hand out of his grip, rubbing the feeling back into it, “I saw some weird things on my run this morning.  Things that had no right being where they were.”

“Like what?  Other people running?”  Drake was starting to calm down sensing the urgency of Aislinn’s words.  The girl was practically vibrating, her fingers twitching in the fabric of her back pack as she set it on the floor, showing how agitated and upset what she had seen had made her.

Aislinn laughed dryly, rolling her eyes at the taller teen.  “Ha-ha, very funny.  No, smartass, a _Shade_.  Not a new one that Hermes just hadn’t gotten to yet, either.  It was the Shade of a Spartan hoplite, ready for war.”

“What!”  Several students turned to look at him strangely, and Aislinn sighed in annoyance.

“Keep it down, would you?  We don’t need the whole class trying to listen in.”

He ignored her sarcasm, but lowered his voice.  “You’re sure about what you saw?  100 percent?”

“Not completely positive, but what person is going to be up at six in the morning, dressed in _authentic_ , ancient Spartan armour, standing in a middle of a field, in the middle of the city.”

“Hermes.”  Drake said matter-of-factly, the urgency he had begun to feel suddenly melting away.  He flapped a hand at Aislinn, waving off her stuttering protests.  “Or Apollo.  I bet you didn’t even think of that possibility did you?  That it could have been your brothers playing a prank?”

Aislinn glared at him, green eyes going darker in her annoyance.  “I know what I saw, Drakon.”  Aislinn spat, ignoring the glare Drake sent at her for using his full name.  “It wasn’t Hermes, or Apollo…besides they know better than to pull stunts like that in broad daylight.”

“Look you were probably just imagining things.  I mean you did get up at 5:30 this morning to go for a run!  What sane person does that?”  He laid his head back down on his arms, smirking as Aislinn glared at him, mouth opening and closing, but no words coming forth.

“Look here, you little –” Aislinn’s rant was cut off by a sigh coming from behind where she and Drake were sitting.

“Are you two fighting again?”  The two seated teens looked over their shoulders and up at who had spoken.

Diana Williams was a short, heavier set girl, with brown hair, kept off of her face in two braids. Bright brown eyes stared down at her friends reproachfully, as she walked around them and took one of the remaining two seats left at the work table.

“Yes.”  Aislinn snapped, tuning back to glare at Drake, who was already ignoring her in favour of talking to Diana, head still pillowed on his arms.

“Apparently, but it’s not anything important.”  He shot Aislinn a look that clearly told her to drop the subject, one dark brow raising, waiting to see if the angry red-head would do as told.

She glared at him for a few more seconds before she let out a hard breath of frustration, grinding her teeth in her agitation.  “Fine.  We’ll finish talking later.”  She moved her gaze to Diana, eyes softening as she looked at the other girl with concern.  “How you feeling, Di?”

            “Better.  I still have a bit of a headache, but it should wear off before class is over.”  Diana was pulling out her sketch book and pens for class, and reaching into her bag she handed an extra sketch pad to Drake.  “Here, looks like you forgot your bag again.”

            “Thanks, Di…wait another headache?”  Drake looked up at her as he placed the offered sketchpad on the table in front of him.  “You’ve been getting them a lot lately.”  Drake’s brow furrowed in annoyance and worry. Annoyance at the frailty of mortals and the ailments they suffered with, and concern for his friend.

            “It’s not a big deal.”  Diana shrugged, smiling at her two friends concern for her well-being.  “I just didn’t get a lot of sleep last night that’s all.”

            Before either of them could question Diana further the bell sounded and the art teacher, Mr. Warner, coughed to gain the classes attention.

            “Ahem, very good.  Good morning class.  We have a new student joining us today, who’s just moved here from out of Province.  This is James Morgan.”  The class gave a monotonous hello, and Aislinn couldn’t help but snicker at the look on the young man’s face.  He looked as if he wished he were anywhere but at the front of a class of a bunch of 17 and 18 year olds.

Mr. Warner straightened his glasses, as he coughed again.  “Yes, excellent.  You may take a seat at the table behind that of Mr. Jordan and Ms.’s Carter and Williams.”  He waved James in the general direction of his seat, a table with two boys at the back of the room.  James hurried through the rows of desks to his seat, happy to be out of the spotlight.  Mr. Warner pulled open a drawer as the teen left, blinking in confusion as he stared inside.

“Hmm, my notes for today’s class seem to be missing.  Oh well.”  He stood from his search to face his students, fixing his glasses again.  “Today we are going to be studying Still Life.  Send one person from each table up to grab an item. Your assignment is to draw the object as accurately as possible; the correct shadows and light sources, size, etcetera.  I will give you the history on Still Life tomorrow instead.”

Diana stood and made her way to the box to find an object that she liked, and would also not be too difficult for her, less art-minded friends, to draw.

As soon as she was out of ear shot, Aislinn turned to Drake, punching him hard in the arm.  The young man didn’t even flinch, as if he hadn’t felt the blow at all.  He raised an eyebrow at her questioningly.

“What?”

“Don’t ‘what’ me.  You know exactly what.  You know as well as I do that what I saw wasn’t either of my brothers!”

“This still?”  Drake rolled his eyes, reaching over and taking the pencil from her hand, claiming it as his own.  He twirled the pencil around his fingers as he spoke, “It had to be.  The only people that can summon, or send, Shades to this realm are myself, and my father.  I didn’t summon it, and father doesn’t send shades to random fields,”  He paused for moment, a slightly fond smile flitted across his features for a moment.  “He doesn’t have that well-developed of a sense of humour.”

Aislinn didn’t bother trying to steal her pencil back, just dug another out of her bag.  “Do you really think that I would have brought this to your attention, if I had had a doubt in my mind, that it wasn’t one of my brothers?  Come on, you know me better than that!”

Drake raised a hand before she could say anything else, seeing Diana returning to the table out of the corner of is eye.  “Okay, okay.  I’ll meet you at your locker after fifth period lets out.  Alright?”

“Thank you.”  She pulled out the map that James had given her and using different coloured pencils, starting marking routes for him on the paper.  Ones to and from each of his classes, and also how to get to the Cafeteria, and the Library from any given room location.

 

Diana sighed as she searched through the box of objects, searching for one that she liked, rubbing at the bridge of her nose with the hand not searching for something to draw.  Glad that her medication was starting to kick in.  She appreciated that her friends worried about her, but she wasn’t sure there was much they could do about the cause of her headaches.  Divorces were messy, and her parents had been arguing all weekend.  On top of that, she had had that weird dream again, that she still couldn’t decide if it was stress related, or something else.  Her questing hand finally connected with an object that made her smile, and she started to return to the table.  It was an ornamental, blown glass vase, made up of a rainbow different coloured glass, its neck twisted in a loop.

She rejoined her table to see her two friends were no longer arguing, and smiled in relief.  She didn’t think she could handle the added stress of her friends fighting, on top of everything else.  Aislinn was doodling on a paper and Drake seemed to have gone back to sleep.

She smiled in sympathy, though no one noticed.  Art was not the young man’s forte, having only joined it for an easy credit, and to hang out with his friends.

She set the vase at the centre of the table and retook her seat on the other side of Aislinn, furthest from Drake.  She unzipped her pencil case, paint stained fingers digging through its contents, before emerging with a set of inking pens.

Diana started when Drake’s voice rumbled from where his head was resting on the desk, still sounding muddled by sleep.  “So another headache?  You had two last week, too.  You sure you’re okay?”

Diana smiled, strained though it was.  “Yes, I’m fine.  It’s just…”  She paused and scowled down at her paper, hand clenching around the pen in her hand, taking a deep breath to keep her emotions under control.  “My parents were fighting again this weekend, over…who knows what.  I get that they’re upset, their marriage is falling apart, I – I just wish they wouldn’t fight.”  She sniffed and rubbed the back of her hand across her eyes roughly, annoyed at the tears she could feel forming.

Aislinn leaned over and hugged her friend around the shoulder, feeling them start to shake.  “Di, why didn’t you call one of us?”

“I didn’t want to impose on your guys’ weekend.”

Drake raised his head up enough that he could glare at her, softening his gaze when he saw the girl flinch.  “You, are not an imposition, Diana.”  He cut her off, when she tried to protest.  “No!  I’m not hearing it.  If you need to get out of your house, because your parents don’t have the decency to keep their fighting to themselves, you call me.  Day or night.  I’ll come get you.  Got it?”

“But, I –”

“Got it?”

Diana smiled, hearing the sincerity in his voice.  “Okay, I got it.  Thanks Drake, I really appreciate – umm…hello?”

Aislinn and Drake looked over their shoulders to see what had made Diana interrupt herself.  Aislinn grinned at seeing James standing there awkwardly, fiddling with the straps of his bag, blue eyes unsure, and fixed on the table top.

“What do you want?”  Drake snapped at him, gray eyes widening when they met James’ blue, the same tingling sensation that Aislinn had felt, dancing across the back of his neck.  Before he could say anything, two flicks to the back of his head, delivered by two of the women in his life, had him turning around.  “Ouch! What was that for?”

Aislinn rolled her eyes, and flicked his nose, smirking when Drake yelped and grabbed his now stinging appendage.  “Don’t be such a boar, Drake.”  She ignored Drake’s grumbled threats and turned to smile up at James.   “What’s up, James?”

“Sorry…I didn’t mean to interrupt, but do you mind if I join you guys?  My table isn’t very art friendly at the moment.”

The four teens looked back to see the other two occupants of James’ table having a paper ball war.  A glance up at the front of the room told them that the teacher was too busy looking for his notes to do anything about the disturbance.

Before Drake could say anything, Diana nodded, smiling up at the gangly teen.  “Sure, pull up a chair. I’m Diana Williams.  I see you’ve already met Aislinn, and this surly grump is Drake Jordan.”

James smiled in gratitude as he walked around the table to take the last empty chair, next to Diana.  “Thanks, I’d introduce myself, but the teacher did it earlier.”

Aislinn grinned and handed him his map back with a fanfare that it didn’t require.  “Let me be the first to say: Welcome to the hell that is High School, here is your illustrated guide.”

James chuckled as he accepted the offered map with a bow of his own.  “Thanks! This will save me a lot of time.”

Drake raised an eyebrow at the coloured lines he could see on the otherwise black and white map, as James put it away.  “They’re actually giving out maps now?  Ha, about time.”  He stopped spinning the stolen pencil and began sketching a rough outline of the vase Diana had placed on the table.  “Maybe now they won’t have a repeat incident from last year.”  He smirked when he heard Aislinn start to laugh.

James raised an eyebrow questioningly has he pulled out his own art supplies.  “What happened last year?”

Drake waved a dismissive hand as he erased a few mistakes he had made.  “Oh some new girl came in, halfway through last semester.  She got lost between second and third period.  She had opened a door that she thought was her class room, but it ended up being a janitor’s closet.”  Drake had to pause here to control his laughter.  Aislinn had buried her head in her arms, shoulders shaking with mirth.

“She walked in and the door closed behind her.  From what we heard later, they’d been having trouble with that door locking randomly.  So when it closed behind her she ended up being locked in.  They didn’t find her until midway through fourth period when a janitor went in there for some light bulbs.”  He joined Aislinn in laughing then, covering his mouth to keep from laughing too loud, not wanting to draw the teachers attention to them.

Diana was shaking her head at her friends, though was having trouble keeping her own mouth from twitching into a smile.  “It’s really not that funny you guys.”

“You’re right, Di.”  Drake gasped between fits of laughter.  “It’s hilarious!”

James snickered, more entertained by how much the other two were so amused by the situation. He shook his head, as he added some detail to the loop of the vase he was sketching.  “Well, here’s hoping I have a better sense of direction.”

Drake raised his head up enough to smirk at him.  “We’ll be sure to check the closets periodically for you.”

“Hey!”

Drake and Aislinn laughed at his indignation, and Diana reached over to pat him on the shoulder consolingly.  “At least you’ll have someone looking for you, if you do get lost.”

James glanced over at the other two occupants of their table, who were still laughing.  “I’m not sure if that instils me with confidence or fear.”

Diana looked over at her two friends, grinning, watching as her two best friends gained control of themselves and went back to drawing.  “Yeah, they get that reaction a lot.”

 

James ended up sharing third period, Science, with the three friends as well, and was invited by Diana to join them for lunch.  An invitation he happily accepted.  It wasn’t often that a, obviously, close knit group of friends invited an outsider into their circle so readily.  A fact that he decided to take advantage of.  His father had **promised** that this would be their last move associated with his job, so James decided to try making friends for once.

Throughout Science and lunch, James thought he had noticed both Drake and Aislinn giving him strange looks every now and again.  Every time he tried to catch either of their eye he found them always looking away.  He decided to let it go for the time being, but made a note to ask one of them the next time he saw them.

He thought he would get that opportunity after school that day, as both Aislinn and Drake were chatting at an open locker, near the corner of the hall he needed to turn down to get to the exit he needed.  He hesitated though, for as he got closer he could see that they were, in fact, arguing.  He was unsure about what, however, as they weren’t speaking in English.  He drifted a bit closer, trying not to be noticed, and managed to catch and understand a few words.  ‘ _Greek!  They’re speaking Greek._ ’

Seeing Drake make a sharp motion with his hand that brought Aislinn up short from what she was saying, and seeing green eyes narrowing dangerously at the taller teen, James decided that he’d wait until tomorrow to ask about the odd looks they had been giving him.  He slowly made his way back down the hall, careful not to draw any attention to himself as he stepped back around the corner he had originally came around, and left the school.

 

Neither Drake, nor Aislinn had noticed their new friend’s arrival, or departure, being too engrossed with their argument.  Making sure to keep their conversation in Greek, keeping it private from any student passing by.

“I’m telling you, Aislinn, what you think you saw, isn’t possible.  There’s no way.”

Aislinn prodded him in the chest roughly with one finger, anger making her eyes dark and her words sharp as cut glass.  “I _know_ what I saw, Drake!  I may have only been to the Underworld a few times, but I remember what the place looked like.”  She dropped her hand back to her side, balling her fists in frustration as the dark haired teen continued to look down on her.  “I’ve also seen you summon Shades enough times to know what they are even from a distance.  There is something wrong here, and you’re just being too much the proud immortal to see it!”

“ **Enough**!”  His hand slashed through the air sharply between them.

Aislinn took a step back, moving carefully out of grabbing range.  While Drake would never intentionally hurt her, she would always rather be safe than sorry when it came to her divine relatives.

Seeing Aislinn move back, snapped Drake out of his anger.  He took a deep breath, as he ran a hand through his hair, before letting out an annoyed sigh.  “Look.  I get that you’re concerned, but don’t you think that if something was wrong back home, that my parents would say something?”  Aislinn opened her mouth to object, but the look Drake sent her had he snapping her mouth shut.  He stared at her for a few more moments before sighing once more.  “Fine!  To satisfy your curiosity, I’ll look into it, make sure nothing is actually wrong.  Okay?”

Aislinn looked up at him for several moments, trying to judge if he was being sincere, or just humouring her.  “Okay.  Thank you, Drake.  I really hope I’m wrong.”

Drake clapped a hand to her shoulder, making the shorter girl stagger a bit.  “No worries, Nike,” he ignored the twitch she gave at the nickname.  “I’ll just prove you wrong and we’ll go back to pretending that you aren’t an idiot.”

Aislinn could only glare at him in dumbfounded silence as he patted her shoulder once more then, stepping around her made his way down the hall, heading for the student parking lot, and his car.

“Arrogant, immortal bastard.”


	2. Chapter 2

Saturday morning found Aislinn pounding on the front door of Drake’s home.  It was a large solid oak affair, framed by two thin, fogged glass windows.  She peered into one, willing the window clear so she could see inside.  There was no answer, no movement in the house at all, not even Drake’s ‘ _guardians_ ’ seemed to be home, which was the most troubling part.  Ash and Willow rarely ever left home, never wanting to stray far from their garden.

A conversation she had had with James at school a few days prior had eased her fears then.  Now though, seeing the house seemingly so empty and still, brought back the initial worry tenfold.  She was supposed to meet him and Diana to work on a project for Science, but had called before leaving her house.  Explaining that she had wanted to stop by Drake’s first, to see if he was alright.

After waiting a few more moments with still no answer, Aislinn turned from the door and jumped off the porch.  Her blue backpack thumping softly against her back.  She spun back around to look up at the house, lush green grass soft under her feet.  Drake’s home was two stories high, done in brick along the bottom two feet of the house, and white stucco everywhere else.  There was one large bay window in front, closed off by curtains, that she knew was the living room.  Further down from those were two smaller windows which belonged to two of the four bedrooms that were in the house.

Aislinn quickly glanced up and down the street, ensuring the coast was clear before moving back toward the front door.  She crouched down, so she was eye level with the lock, and taking another quick look, brought her hand up and placed it flat against the lock.  A brief moment of concentration, then there was a flash of light and a sharp crack of electricity.  Lightning jumped from her palm to the lock, blasting it apart.  The heavy door swung inwards on silent, well-oiled hinges, revealing an empty and darkened foyer and living room.  She stood and slowly entered.  There was a thin layer of undisturbed dust on the floor, the table next to the door, and the objects scattered across it.  Indicating that no one had been in the home for at least a week.

A quick walk through of both levels of the house confirmed her fear, dust everywhere, beds not slept in in days, house clean, but unlived in.  The eerie quiet of the house made the hairs along Aislinn’s arms and neck stand on end.  She moved cautiously through the house.  Checking every possible place for **any** signs of what might have happened to her friend.  Finding nothing inside, she made her way to the back yard, to see if any clues could be found there.  As she pushed open the back door, green eyes widened in horror as she took in the once immaculate garden.  There were deep, thin furrows in the ground, as if slashed by a blade,  several scorch and burn marks throughout the garden, splashes of silver blood on green leaves and colourful flowers.  Most damning of all, were the two empty mounds of soil, at opposite sides of the garden were two trees once stood proudly.  An ash and a willow tree.

She ran back into the house, making for the front door.  The missing trees at least meant that Ash and Willow were still alive, just no longer there.  But the damage to the back yard indicated a fight, which Drake had obviously lost.  As she walked through the house, her mind racing with worry for her friend, she took another quick look at everything, making sure she hadn’t missed a vital clue.

She came to a sudden halt as she stepped onto Drake’s front porch.  The once lush green neighbourhood was now dead and gray.  The ground was dried and cracked through, as if it had faced a ten year drought.  The trees were skeletal and petrified, no leaves graced their branches, and none could be seen littering the ground, indicating they had fallen.  It was as if they had never existed to begin with.  Green eyes widened as in the distance she could see a thick, miasmic like fog rolling in, covering the street.  It engulfed cars and hid the ground from sight.

She reached into her back pocket and pulled out her phone, flipping it open and hitting the number ‘1’, before bringing the phone to her ear.  It rang twice before someone picked up the other end.

“Hello?”

“Mom, I need you to do me a favour.”  Aislinn’s voice was tight with barely concealed panic.  A fact that her mother picked up on immediately.

“Is everything okay sweetheart?”

“I don’t know yet, I’m going to try and find out.  I **need** you and Mark to stay inside today.  Lock the doors, and don’t go _anywhere_ until I call you back and give you the all-clear.  Okay?”

“Aislinn, what’s going –”

“Please mom!  I need you to do this for me.”  Panic had her voice cracking, and she had to fight to keep the lightning that was gathered in her opposite hand from arching across and destroying her phone.

“Okay sweetie.  Call me soon to let me know you’re okay?  I love you.”

Aislinn heaved a sigh of relief, not for the first time thankful that her mother was so understanding, and accepting, of her rather unorthodox heritage.  “Thank you.  I’ll call you back soon.  Love you too, bye.”

She flipped her phone shut and slipped it back into her pocket, trying to think what her next move should be.  Aislinn stepped carefully off the porch and into the fog that was now swirling around her knees, covering the street in a blanket of dismal gray, dampening all sound.

She took careful steps on what used to be Drake’s front lawn, feet dragging, seeking out a bit of still soft ground.  Something she could draw in.  She needed answers and fast, and the best person to ask was Hermes.  He knew everything there was to know about anything.  She almost stumbled when her foot went from hard, unforgiving stone, to a softer almost clay like surface.  She smiled in relief and reached up to the tree she had stopped next to and snapped off a branch.

She crouched down next to the tree, hand feeling along the ground.  She quickly cleared a patch of the soft clay, big enough for the image she needed to draw.  The hastily drawn Caduceus, while messy would serve its purpose.  She pulled her back pack off and ripped the zipper open.  Yelping when the skin of her finger caught on the teeth in her haste, blood welling along the wound.  She stuck the digit in her mouth, while reaching in with the opposite hand.  She made a small sound of triumph when she found what she was looking for.  She removed her hand, a bottle of bright blue sport drink clenched in it.  She bit the lid with her teeth, pulling it open.  She turned back to her drawing and holding the bottle above it, squeezed out as much as she could.  It wasn’t the greatest offering, but it would do.  She dropped the now half empty bottle back into her bag and closed her eyes.

“Swift-footed Hermes, son of thundering Zeus, and Maia, daughter of Atlas. Your sister calls now for your aid.”  She shook her head as she stood, hating the formalities.  Especially when it looked like the world was going to shit.  She took a steadying breath before continuing.  “Hermes, _Adelphos_ , please.  I need your help, I don’t know what’s going on.  Drakon is missing.  I haven’t heard from him in days.  His backyard looks like a war-zone, and I’m freaking out here.  Hermes!”

Silence followed her words.  No leaves shaking in the wind.  No bird song flitting through the air. No cars. No sounds. No life.

Aislinn’s hand opened and closed, as if seeking something to hold for reassurance.  Before the silence could press in on her further, she heard a soft sound approaching where she stood.  The sound growing louder as it came closer.

She crouched a little into the mist, hiding her hands, and the lightning she gathered there, below the thick, swirling grey fog.

The sound of wing beats filled her ears and she sighed in relief.  The lightning vanished from her hands, and she stood straight and tall, turning to smile gratefully at the god approaching.

Hermes – god of thieves, merchants, and travellers – landed with a silent grace and a teasing grin, golden-brown eyes dancing with merriment.

“Thank fuck.  Hermes, the world has gone crazy, and I do know what’s going on.  Drake’s missing.  Ash and Willow are too.  There was some kind of fight –”

Hermes placed his hands on Aislinn’s slim shoulders, stopping her mid-sentence.  “Easy, Aislinn.  Take a breath, and start from the beginning.  Starting with why you’re in the Underworld unaccompanied.”

Aislinn blinked up at her slightly taller brother.  “Why I’m what?  The Underworld?  Hermes, I’m not in the Underworld.”  She shrugged his hands off and gestured around them.  “I’m in- **we’re** in the Upper Realm.”

Hermes raised one eyebrow at her skeptically, casting a quick look around them.  “Really?  Fog, petrified trees, the chilling damp of an abandoned grave-yard? Sure seems like the Underworld to me.”  He placed his hands on his hips, head tilting to the side as he watched Aislinn’s mouth drop open in disbelief.

Aislinn tugged on her hair, pulling the red strands taut, as she counted backwards from 10 in Latin. Then Russian.

It only helped a little.

“Why,” she said slowly, as if trying to explain something to a small child. “Would I call you, of all people, to the Underworld, for help, when I’m usually down here visiting those who have the power to actually do something in this realm? Just think about that for one second, Hermes. Go on. I’ll wait.”

The god glared at the slightly shorter demi-goddess, warm honey coloured eyes flashing a deep, harsh gold for half a moment. “Watch your tone with me, girl. I’m a brother that loves you, but don’t let that fact let you believe that I’ll let slights slide.”

“Come on, Hermes! When have ever called you in a panic? Look around you.” She gestured widely at the area they were standing in. The petrified trees, the desolate ground that could just be made out through the soup like fog.   She grabbed the god’s shoulders and forcibly turned him around, so he was now facing the house that had been at his back.  “This is Drake’s fucking front yard. In the UPPER realm!”

Hermes paused, taking the time to look at his surroundings more closely. He turned a slow circle, taking everything in. “What in Kronos’ name…” Wide eyes landed on Aislinn after completing his inspection.

“You think this is bad, but this isn’t even the real reason I called you. Check out the back yard. I’ll wait here.”

Hermes raised a hand a portal of black star-light swirled into existence. Staying inky and black until it solidified, until out of that corner of her eye Aislinn could see Drake’s back yard through the portal. Hermes stepped through quickly, eyes already going wide as the _Door_ swirled closed behind him.

Aislinn took a moment to finally breathe, letting her eyes close and her chin drop to her chest.  Relieved that she might have some reliable, divine help. When she opened her eyes, she had to blink several times to make sure she wasn’t seeing things.  The fog was dissipating, the ground beneath her feet becoming more visible by the second, and grass quickly returning.  The bark of the tree next to her was returning to life, the stone like bark becoming brown again, leaves sprouting from the branches faster than she could count.  Between one breath and the next the world was right again.

Ten seconds had barely passed, when she heard her name being called in the distance. But not from the yard behind her.

Her head shot up fast enough that her neck cracked. Eyes widened as all the blood drain from her face, at the sight of the last two people she wanted to see right now.

Diana and James.

Diana. Her mortal best friend, who has no idea Aislinn isn’t completely human.

And James. An unclaimed demi-god.

Fuck.


End file.
